12/03/2003 - 6:49 PM

The mixture of mp3s I have on at the moment includes Notorious BIG, Kylie, and eastmountainsouth, but I'm not in the mood for one style over another. I'd rather have the Alicia Keys CD in my ears, but I don't have a CD player on this trip. There's plenty of time to listen to that one tonight, though.

Speaking of music, I have some guilty pleasures at the moment, including the ones listed above. As a gay man, I'm not supposed to like rap like BIG, and yet I have a love for hip-hop that a lot of my gay acquaintances cannot relate to. There's also Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, Nas, Bubba Sparxxx, and my favorite at the moment, Outkast. The new CD is a masterpiece of our times, paying tribute to the influences that preceded them, as well as looking forward and expanding what constitutes hip-hop. Honorable mention for the present goes to Bubba, for taking bluegrass and old-school country samples and creating something both futuristic and catchy.

If you don't know who Train is, you probably haven't listened to the radio in the past couple of years. "Drops of Jupiter" rotated on many radio stations for close to two years before they decided that the song was burned out and needed a rest (usually that's three MONTHS). Yes, their lyrics speak in new-age clich�s, but they are also more literate than most pop songs will ever hope to be, and the messages are always uplifting, speaking of untapped potential and growth. Currently I've got "When I Look To the Sky" in active rotation.

That upbeat theme seems to be all over my musical choices right now. "Sky's the Limit", "More to Life", and "There Goes My Life" are all on the play list in my PDA.

One of my guiltiest pleasures is Kylie Minogue. I'm gay, and I'm entitled. No further explanation is necessary.

I'm a sucker for a catchy pop hook, which explains my current fixation on the Clay Aiken song "Invisible". More than once I've wondered if I shouldn't have been the next Clive Davis, but that's another lifetime, I suppose.

However, my biggest indulgence right now is a 3:30 minute song entitled "Milkshake" by Kelis. Just turn on a hip-hop radio station for a maximum of an hour, and I guarantee you'll be hooked. That, along with a promise that you'll never look at a milkshake the same way again.

I would be neglecting the obvious if I didn't mention the love songs that rear their perky heads with thoughts of finding that special one, and how life will never be the same. I know, I know... *collective groan*

So there you go...as Clay wishes he could be invisible, I will sign off.

Oh wait...he already IS. (Just listen to the song, okay?)

What I'm Listening To: Take your pick...

First Word That Comes To Mind: Music

What I'm Currently Reading: